Student group raises recycling awareness

By Jessica Alway

Santa Clara University is the leading recycler in the city and surrounding area. According to a census taken by the state of California in 2000, the campus recycles more solid waste than any other business or facility - by a large margin. Indeed, after seeing all the signs in various buildings reminding students, faculty and others to recycle this might come as some surprise to some students and faculty.

Recently, however, a group of seven students researched the amount of waste created on campus through the selling and purchasing of water bottles and with the use of disposable carryout containers. The students found that approximately 8,000 water bottles are sold a week, 15,000 large plastic to-go containers and 20,000 disposable paper cups are used per week. Only the water bottles can be recycled.

Many other universities around the country do not have to-go containers including another west-coast school, Reed College in Ore., which is also a contractor of Bon Appetite, like Santa Clara.

According to student researcher Evan Hughes, the majority of students get food in carryout containers because they are in a rush or because they do not have any friends around to eat with. For this reason the Waste Action Committee has been running an educational campaign around campus using class presentations, placing educational stickers on to-go containers and cups and is planning to host an upcoming informational barbecue.

The educational campaign's focus is to raise awareness of waste reduction and of purchasing reusable water bottles. Some representatives feel the university is doing a great job of reducing waste on-campus.

"I really believe students and faculty are making a conscious decision to recycle," said Lucky Hinkle, the recycling/waste removal specialist at Santa Clara. "From what I see people really do care about attempting to separate waste from materials that could possibly be used again. Every year, I see more and more people recycling."

Hinkle, who has spent the last six years working with the program, estimates around 2,400 tons of solid waste, recyclable or not, are produced each year at Santa Clara. Of that massive amount, about 625 tons can be recycled. This number is up from the record breaking 600 tons recorded in 2000.

"We recycled at least 225 tons of paper alone last year," said Hinkle. "That might not seem impressive initially, but when broken down it equals out to about a ton of paper recycled a day. That is pretty amazing and very commendable."

This material comes from many areas around campus. Thousands of blue thread bags hang in offices in academic buildings and elsewhere, gathering paper waste. Large green trashcans stand near all the residence halls to collect used paper from students. Other areas feature a recycling center containing bins for plastic, glass and cardboard.

"Students really take advantage of all the resources," said Hinkle. "I think the biggest problem is that people care a little too much. They try to recycle things that just can't be recycled. I spend a lot of time picking out the contaminants."

Hinkle cited copy paper cover sheets as the number one non-recyclable item that seems to always end up in the bins. He believes the best way to eliminate this problem is simply to increase awareness.

"The Green Club has been a tremendous help," he said. "The travel around campus providing information in forums like floor discussions. They also helped sponsor the Earth Day Festival which really was a great event."

Yet, despite the massive amounts of materials recycled each year, an increasing amount of non-recyclable materials are being used by the university. The problem with these items is not that people forget to recycle them, it's that they simply cannot be recycled.

Hinkle recognizes this problem and is in the midst of organizing a deal with Browning and Ferris Incorporated to begin food waste recycling on campus. Not only would this reduce the amount of actual food waste, but the process allows for the recycling of materials previously discarded as non-recyclable, such as the paper cups used in Benson Memorial Center. "It is my next big project," said Hinkle. "I am really excited about it."

Environmental Activism students at Santa Clara are holding an event in the community organic garden at 6 p.m. tonight to deliver speeches about the detrimental environmental impact of the campus dining hall. The student speakers, joined by students from various other classes, will convene for food, music, speeches and informative displays.

"Everyone is welcome and all are encouraged to attend," said Hughes.